Elise S

[The Bandit]

Hi all,

Newbie on here so please be gentle....
I've been looking into a weekend sportscar recently and im trying to decide between an Elise and a 987 Boxster.
The Boxster seems to have its problems(from what i've read on other Forums)and is horrendously expensive to run,so at the moment i'm leaning towards an Elise.
With my budget i can get into an 06/07 Elise S Touring.
All the reviews i've read are saying the S is more driveable on the road(im not interested in track driving),is this the case?
Also are there any major reliability issues/other problems?(My car will be garaged by the way).
Does anyone know how much an extended warranty costs as i understand the car only comes with a 2 year warranty?
Apologies if these questions have been asked and answered a 1000 times,i appreciate any feedback.

Cheers
Paul

[NathanE]

The Elise S is probably the most reliable car that Lotus produce. Simply because the engine is a mass market Toyota "1ZZ" unit which is found in loads of their cars.

Elise S will be more reliable than any Porsche by a long way I think.

Servicing is cheap and parts, within reason, are pretty cheap as well. Not that you'd be needing to worry about new parts on a 06 plate car!

[onkey]

I love the Elise - FACT.

See far less Lotus cars on the roads, the other owners I've met have been really friendly and helpful, track days rock and the excitement on every drive is brilliant. Servicing is relatively cheap, especially at specialist centres.

However in defense of the Boxter which does cost a tad more to service, the service intervals are apparently every 2 years or 20000 miles, compared with the annual or 9000 miles for my 111R Elise. So depending on how long you intend on keeping the car, etc. then there probably isn't too much difference in running costs.

This is all just based on my experience with my Elise and a work mates experience with his Boxter. Things might have changed recently so probably worth checking with a dealer.

I'd still buy an Elise over a Boxter any day but thought I'd just throw in my two pence worth.

Good luck and enjoy what ever car you decide to upon.

Dave

[The Bandit]

Thats for your input chaps,any ideas about the extended warranty cost?
Do the Toyota engined cars need servicing annually as well?

Thanks again.

[miro]

The Bandit said:

Thats for your input chaps,any ideas about the extended warranty cost?
Do the Toyota engined cars need servicing annually as well?

Thanks again.

I had the very same decision to make last year. The boxter was nice but didnt feel as special to drive also the fuel and servicing was going to be more and id have an older car for my money. The Elise S is a cracking car it has been perfect on long drives 5-6hr non stop driving and amazing wen you get a bit of space. I would suggest that the Elise takes more driving.esp in the wet no TC but its my first RWD/sports car and after a training day I am happier in it than any other car I have driven.

what it comes down to is what you want from a car. I wanted something fun to drive and a bit special.. the boxter just isnt special realy. also i wanted to be able to be a part of something and the lotus Community is something special. best £12 I spent was on SELOC membership. I certainly wouldnt rule out any of the other Elise specs just because of the 'Toyota' engine the 111S is a superb car too. make sure you drive as many types as you can before you buy.

[RichyBoy]

http://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/204583...

Elise s looks like such good fun.

[Stu_00]

Anyone gone from a 111R or R to a S. I know it is probably not too common - Just wondering.

Think I would miss the second cam, but wondering by the continued praise of the S if I should swap for a while?

[21TonyK]

Stu_00 said:

Anyone gone from a 111R or R to a S. I know it is probably not too common - Just wondering.

Think I would miss the second cam, but wondering by the continued praise of the S if I should swap for a while?

I had one as a loaner for a couple of weeks. The plus point over my Exige was the flexibility of the engine for everyday use and low speed driving. The downsides were the woolly brakes and the suspension, the whole car felt less planted on the road and became unsettled over less than perfect surfaces.

If I had to pick a daily driver it would be an S with a hard-top and then upgrade the suspension and brakes. For an all out fun car I'd stick with my Exige.

Edited by 21TonyK on Sunday 13th January 19:31

[riwiho]

RichyBoy said:

http://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/204583...

Elise s looks like such good fun.

I like the way it says on the link that the road was closed but yet there were a number of cars coming the other way.

Great video though, that road looks brilliant